Curved platen printing press



July 8, 1952 J. F. JIROUSEK CURVED PLATEN PRINTING PRESS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed May 27, 1946 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH F.JIROUSEK ATTORNEYS y 8, 1952 J. F. JIROUSEK 2,602,396

CURVED PLATEN PRINTING PRESS Filed May 27, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 HVVENTOK JOSEPHIZMROUSEK ATTORNEYS Patented July 8, 1952 ,tzses CURVED PLATEN PRINTING rnnss Joseph F. Jirousek, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor'to The Chandler &'Brice Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 27, 1946, Serial No. 672,631

. 1 This invention relates, as indicated, to platen printing presses and more particularly to such presses in which a rolling contact is obtained between the sheet on the platen and the form. It has long been recognized (see U. S. Patent No. 1,034,083 to Clark, dated July 30, 1912) that there are certain advantages in cylinder presses over the Gordon or platen type press, including the fact that the sheet to be printed contacts the impression cylinder progressively with relatively little area in contact whereas in the conventional Gordon press the entire sheet carried ,on the platen receives the full impression from the form at one time. This calls for the application of a great deal of force and requires great strength and rigidity in the supporting elements of the press.

To the best of applicants knowledge no platen press of a type affording rolling contact with the form has yet met with commercialsuccess, largely due to failure to provide a mechanism sufficiently positive and precisein its action.

Itis, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide a platen printing press affording rolling contact of form and platen in a manner to effect a firm and consistently reproducible impression.

A further object is to provide a press of the indicated type capable of great impression strength but of relatively light construction.

Still another object is to provide a press of the indicated type which is capable of great rapidity of operation but nevertheless opens to an extent which facilitates feeding anddelivery of sheets to and from the platen.

Other objects of my invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the upper portion of a platen press constructed in accord ance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a broken front elevational view of the same portion of the press.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the main frame I of the press supports the 5 Claims. (01. 1o1 297) form-bed 2 in which the usual chase and form (not shown) are adapted to be mounted. The

frame is recessed at each side at 3 to permit provided for such rollers leading from a conventional fountain and distributing-disc (not shown).

Mounted on said main frame to each side of said form-bed are racks 8 extending downwardly from said form-bed except where interrupted by recess 3. A platen 9 having a convexly curved face Ill adapted to engage in rolling contact a form carried by said form-bed is provided with curved racks ll along each side and extending downwardly therefrom. Said racks H on said platen areadapted to mesh with the racks 8 on the mainframe of the press in cooperative engagement whereby precise positioning of the platen relative to the form-bedis obtained and preserved. The downwardly extending portions l2 of the platen 9 are more sharply curved than i the sheet-supporting face Ill and the corresponding portions of racks l l are likewise more sharply curved than in their upper portions. It will be seen therefore, that when the platen 9 is rocked. to a closed position as shown in dash line in Fig. 1 the teeth of racks 8 and II will progres sively mesh, recess 3 being bridged Without difiiculty, until rolling contact has been made with the entire face of the form. Because of the increased arcuity of the lower portions of racks l I it will be seen, likewise as illustrated in Fig. 1, that the platen in open position may be caused to assume a substantially horizontal position, thereby greatly facilitating feeding and delivery operations. A support, such as wooden stop or rest l3, may be provided for said platen in open position.

To operate the press, gears 14 are keyed to shaft 15 which is journalled in main frame I. It will be noted that similar driving means are provided on each side of the press (see Fi 2). J ournalled on said shaft l5 between gears l4 and main frame I are side members l6 rigidly connected to the main frame by studs ll and bosses Hi. In the outer surfaces of such side members l6 are cam-tracks 19, substantially circular except for sinuous portions in the region adjacent form-bed 2. Radially extending slide-ways 2|] are rigidly mounted on the outer faces of gears l4 with the outer ends of said slide-ways extending across cam-tracks l9. Cam-followers 2i adapted to travel in cam-tracks l9 are rotatably mounted in slides 22 in slide-ways 2G and pivotally connected to the ends of platen operating arms 23. The other ends of arms 23 are pivotally connected to the upper portion of the platen so that when gears M are rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 by driving means not shown, said arms 23 will be given reciprocatory motion to open and close the press.

Journalled to cross-shaft 24 are depending arms 25, pivotally connected with the downwardly-extending portions 12 of the platen 9 by means of links 26. Rollers 21 mounted on arms 25 engage cams 28 keyed to shaft l so that as such shaft rotates and arms 23 are reciprocated arms 25 are likewise actuated, permitting downwardly extending portions l2 of the platen to move up and outwardly as shown in dash line in Fig. 1, but ensuring continuous meshing of the teeth of racks 8 and II. The movement of the platen is thereby positively controlled and heavy pressure may be maintained during the impression since both upper and lower portions of the platen are operatively connected to the driving means.

Throw-off means may be provided similar to that disclosed in Johnson Patent No. 2,357,116, dated August 29, 1944, with shaft I5 journalled in an eccentric amount 29 rotatable through lever arm 30 and link 3|, whereby the platen may be prevented from coming into impression engagement with the form as it oscillates.

From the foregoing the general operation of my new press is readily discernable. When slide- Ways 2|] have been carried around to the position illustrated in solid line in Fig. 1 it will be seen that followers 2| have entered the sinuous portions of cam-tracks l9 and no further motion is imparted to the platen until followers 2| pass beyond such sinuous portions, arms 23 having imparted thereto only an arcuate movement about their axis of pivotal attachment to the platen. This provides a dwell or rest period during which the printed sheet may be removed from the platen and another sheet fed thereto. As shown in Fig. 2, arms 23 are widely spaced and do not interfere with the usual feeding and delivery operations. It is during this period, also, that the inking rollers pass over the form. While arms 23 are shown as being upwardly bent such arms may be downwardly bent, for example,

to facilitate access to the platen.

As gears [4 continue to turn, arms 23 draw the upper portion of the platen toward the formbed, racks ll meshing with racks 8 to impart a progressive rolling motion and cams 28, acting through arms 25 and links 26, controlling the upward and outward movement of the lower portion of the platen. A sheet carried on the platen receives the imprint of the form progressively until the platen has reached the position shown in dash line in Fig. 1'. By this time slide has reached the slight inward bend of the cam-track and begun to move toward the form-bed again as gear [4 continues to turn and the press is opened, platen 9 being rocked back to the solid line (dwell) position. To avoid possibility of a double impression, just as arms 23 begin to swing the upper portion of the platen outwardly the above-described throw-off means comprising eccentric journal 28 is rotated through arm 30 and link 3| sufii'ciently to move shaft l5 and the parts carried thereby slightly toward form-bed 2 so that the entire platen is moved outwardly a fraction of an inch to avoid possibility of a double impression as the press is opened but insufficiently to take racks 8 and H entirely out of mesh. Such actuation of the throw-off mechanism is normal to the operation of the press. The throw-01f is also adapted to be actuated throughout the complete cycle in any conventional manner in case of emergency, for example. In normal operation,- when the platen has rocked to a position Where it would no longer contact the form, the throw-off mechanism operates to again cause tight enmeshment of racks B and II. Tension springs 32 acting on arms 25 act to hold rollers 21 in close contact with'cams 28 even when the throw-off is operative.

It will be noted that during the printing operation a firm rolling contact is obtained without any sliding or resilient mounting of the positioning means so that great precision and reproducibility of impression are obtainable. Of course, if desired, the positions of the platen and the form-bed maybe reversed and the form-bed or both form-bed and platen, provided with a curved surface for rolling contact, although a preferred form is illustrated and described herein. Likewise, it is possible to provide the curved platen with substantially straight rack means and curve the rack means on the main frame to obtain the desired movement. 7

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a platen printing press of the character described, a main frame, a form-bed carried by said frame, a platen having a convexly curved surface adapted to make rolling contact with a form in said form-bed when oscillated into impression position-rack means on said frame to 'each side of said form-bed, convexly curved downwardly extending portions of said platen, rack means on said platen to each side of the impression surface of said platen and continuing along said downwardly extending portions, said rack means on said platen meshing with said rack means on said frame to position said platen relative to said form-bed, a shaft rotatably journalled in said frame on an axis parallel to said form-bed, means for rotating said shaft, a slide mounted radially of said shaft and rotatable therewith, an arm pivotally connected to said slide and to the upper portion of said platen operative to oscillate said platen when said shaft is rotated, a continuous cam track on said frame, a cam follower on said slide engaging said cam track to control the reciprocation .of said arm, an arm pivotally connected to said frame, a link pivotally connecting said arm and a said downwardly extendingportion of said platen, and cam means on said shaft engaging said last-named arm operative in conjunction with said rack means to control the oscillation of the said downwardly extending portion of said platen and maintain said rack means in meshing engagement.

2. In a platen printing press of the character described, a form-bed, rack means to each side of said form-bed, a platen having a uniformly slightly convexly curved impressionsurface for rolling contact with a form carried in said formbed, such curve having a relatively long radius, convexly curved rack means on each side of said impression surface portion of said platen, said' rack means to each side of said form-bed likewise extending downwardly below said form-bed, and means for maintaining said rack means in meshing engagement.

3. In a platen printing press having a main frame and a form-bed carried by such frame; a curved platen oscillatorily mounted for rolling contact with a form carried in such form-bed, rack means on said platen and rack means on such frame extending below such form-bed in mesh with said first-named rack means, inking rollers operative to travel vertically across a form carried in such form-bed, and a recess in such frame below such form-bed to receive'at least certain of said rollers at the conclusion of their downward traverse, said rack means on such frame being interrupted by said recess but con- .tinued therebelow to engage the said rack means on said platen when said platen is in open position, and said rack means on said platen below the point of'contacting position between such form-bed and said platen having a curvature of relatively shorter radius adapted to span said recess in said rack means on said frame while maintaining constant engagement with said latter rack means.

4. In a platen printing press of the character described, a main frame, a form-bed carried by said frame, a platen having a convexly curved surface adapted to make rolling contact with a form in said form-bed when oscillated into impression position, rack means mounted on said frame to each side of said form-bed, rack means mounted on said platen to each side of the impression surface of said platen in mesh with said rack means on said frame, driving means on said frame, paired arms pivotally connected to the upper portion of said platen and adapted to be reciprocated by said driving means to oscillate said platen into and out of impression position, and arms pivotally connected to the lower portion of said platen, control means operative positively to regulate movement of said latter arms to maintain said rack means at all times in meshing engagement as said platen oscillates, and means automatically operative during opening movement of the press to shift said drive means 6 and paired arms correspondingly to move said platen away from such form-bed a distance sufficient to avoid double impression while maintaining continued meshing of said rack means, said rack means on said platen extending downwardly therefrom continuously in mesh with said firstnamed rack means, one of said pairs of rack 'means having a curvature of reduced radius in the region below said form-bed and platen to accelerate opening movement of said platen after completion of the impression.

5. In a platen printing press having a main frame and a form-bed carried by such frame; a platen, having an impression surface, mounted for oscillatory movement relative to such form: bed and frame and having a convexly curved portion in constant engagement with such frame, and adapted to engage such frame at a point spaced below such form-bed when said platen is in open position, rack means mounted on said frame to each side of said form-bed and rack means mounted on said platen to each side of said impression surface, inking rollers operative to travel vertically across a form carried in such form-bed, means for causing said inking rollers to travel in timed relation to the opening and closing of the press, and a recess in such frame, between the lower edge of such form-bed and the point where said platen contacts Such frame when in open position, adapted to receive at, least certain of said rollers at the conclusion of their downward traverse.

JOSEPH F. J IROUSEK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 857,721 Clark June 25, 1907 887,820 Kuster May 19, 1908 992,461 Vandercook May 16, 1911 1,034,083 Clark July 30, 1912 1,360,063 Waters Nov. 23, 1920 I 1,427,988 Waters Sept. 5, 1922 1,695,271 Caplinger Dec. 18, 1928 2,004,149 Honigman June 11, 1935 2,185,440 Johnson Jan. 2, 1940 2,227,877 Cox Jan. 7, 1941 2,309,645 Harrington Feb. 2, 1943 

